Pumpkin Crumble (gluten-free : nutrient-dense)

Fall is arriving amid cool mornings and rainy days. We watch as the black-chinned hummingbirds become plump in advance of their southerly migration. The prolific doves, who usually move singularly or in small groups, are gathering in large flocks that swoop overhead.

We mist ourselves with lemongrass and lavender oils to repel the pesky mosquitoes; the lovely smell of this repellent has come to signal the winding down of the long summer days. The long-ripening winter squash are reaching fruition, and hence my children have garnered two orange globes from a friend's garden. Pie pumpkins have arrived.

Pumpkin Crumble
Serves 8

• 2 & 1/2 cups pumpkin puree, preferably homemade
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten, preferably from pastured hens
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup Grade B maple syrup
• 2 tsp homemade or organic vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup sucanat
• 3 Tb coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp fine ground celtic sea salt
• 1 & 1/2 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground clove
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• Crumble Topping:
• 1 stick cold butter
• 1/2 cup sucanat
• 1/2 cup white rice flour*
• 1/2 cup ground crispy almonds or pecans (or substitute almond meal)
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• pinch of fine ground celtic sea salt

1. One trick to making a crispy crumble topping is to make sure that the butter stays cold.  Keep the butter in the fridge until just before you are going to use it.
2. Combine the pumpkin puree with milk, syrup, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk or mix with a hand mixer until well-combined.
3. In a small bowl, combine the sucanat, 3 Tb coconut flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and spices. Whisk to combine. Mix these dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture.
4. Grease an 8X8 square glass baking dish with a bit of butter.  Pour in the pumpkin mixture.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Chop the cold butter into approximately 1/2-inch cubes.  Place the chopped butter in the fridge to stay cold while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
7. Combine the remaining crumble topping ingredients in a medium-large bowl and stir to combine.
8. Add the chopped butter to the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients, until there is a uniform, crumbly consistency. Note: a food processor does not work very well for this recipe, so use a pastry cutter or two knives instead.
9. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the pumpkin mixture in the baking dish.
10. Bake for about 40-50 minutes, until the topping has reached a medium brown color.
11. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
12. Serve warm or cold. Sweetened whipped cream (recipe follows) or vanilla ice cream are fantastic served alongside pumpkin crumble.
13. Refrigerate any leftovers. 

 *You can read about why I use white rice flour instead of brown rice flour in this archived post.  

Sweetened Whipped Cream

• 2 cups raw cream
• pinch of fine ground celtic sea salt
• 1/2 tsp homemade or organic vanilla extract
• 2-4 Tb raw mild-flavored honey, to taste**

1. Beat the cream and salt together until the mixture starts to get thick and fluffy.  I like to use my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer with the wire whip attachment, but you could also use a hand mixer.
2. Add the vanilla extract, and drizzle in the honey while the mixer is running.  Alternatively, you could drizzle in the honey a little at a time and mix between each honey addition. 
3. If you're using a stand mixer, use a silicone spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times to make sure you don't have any clumps of honey at the bottom.  I like to beat it until it gets a bit stiff since it will tend to soften up a bit in the fridge over the next few days.
4. Store the whipped cream in the fridge in an airtight bowl.

**If your raw honey is very crystallized, place it over a bowl of warm water to make it a bit runny.

 

What are your favorite ways to use pumpkins?

 

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